“I reiterated that I was in active labor and needed to go to the hospital immediately.
John snapped back, ‘It’s just a meeting.
Sit through it, and then you could go.
Its not like the baby is going to pop out right now.'”
Now, her work life is a disaster.
I needed to go to the hospital.
I informed John that I was in labor and needed to leave.
He rolled his eyes and said, ‘Just stay for the meeting at 1 p.m.
It’s crucial, and we need you there.'"
“I was stunned.
I reiterated that I was in active labor and needed to go to the hospital immediately.
John snapped back, ‘It’s just a meeting.
Sit through it, and then it’s possible for you to go.
It’s not like the baby is going to pop out right now.’
Feeling pressured and scared for my job, I reluctantly stayed.”
“The meeting lasted an excruciating two hours.
By the end of it, I was in so much pain that I could barely walk.
I finally left and drove myself to the hospital, where I was admitted immediately.”
HR was appalled and assured me they would handle the situation.
John has since been suspended pending an investigation."
“The real kicker?
He even implied that I was using my pregnancy as an excuse to get out of work.”
One even said that I should have ‘toughed it out’ like their wife did during her pregnancy."
“To make matters worse, the interim manager who took over from John is even worse.
Now that my maternity leave is over, I find myself isolated at work.
People give me side-eyes and whisper about me.
During lunch, I’m alone because no one wants to sit with the ‘troublemaker.'”
He’s so sweet and never takes it to heart.
“He says I should take action and complain, but I don’t want to make things worse.
“You did the right thing by reporting him.
Your health and your baby’s health come first.
Your coworkers who are siding with him clearly have no empathy or understanding of basic human decency.
“It’s far past time to stop dealing with HR and consult with an employment attorney.
This is a textbook hostile workplace with the hostility being due to a protected status.
